Basel, 2003/06/27
The complete genomic sequence of the bacterium Helicobacter hepaticus has now been decoded and functionally annotated. The genomic analysis was performed by a consortium consisting of MWG Biotech AG, Ebersberg, scientist teams of the University of Wuerzburg led by Prof. Sebastian Suerbaum of the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, Prof. James G. Fox of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, USA, and Genedata, Basel, Switzerland, using MWG-Biotech’s proprietary sequencing and Genedata's automated functional annotation technologies. The paper presenting the genome sequence analysis will appear this week in the American research publication "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA" (Vol. 100 [13], p. 7901).
The data presented allows an extensive overview over the genetic organization of H. hepaticus as well as over the genes associated with its pathogenicity (the causing of disease). A comparative analysis of the genome sequences of H. hepaticus and its close relative H. pylori should provide valuable insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of bacteria to promote chronic infection, inflammation and malignant diseases like cancer.
For these studies MWG Biotech applies its proprietary DNA microarrays for the evaluation of gene activity for H. hepaticus and H. pylori, as well as on the complete genome of the mouse and the complete human genome. For the in-depth analysis of experimental data, in particular in terms of gene and protein function, Genedata provides its Phylosopher™ PathoLead solution combining the proprietary comparative genomics approach with its expertise in the analysis of data generated with DNA microarrays.
"Without the significant contributions of MWG Biotech and Genedata it would not have been possible to undertake this project. The collaboration has complemented our expertise on the pathogenic Helicobacter species with the outstanding competence of MWG in high-throughput sequencing and Genedata in the computational analysis of experimental data and thus laid the foundation of this success story," summarises Prof. Suerbaum, scientific coordinator of the project, in behalf of the four partners.
With the availability of the genomic data of H. hepaticus as well as that of its host organism (mouse), the publication of the pathogen’s genomic sequence opens the door for systematic research on the causes of the carcinogenic (cancer causing) potency of the bacterium using the mouse model. In this context its similarities with H. pylori are of special importance, as well as a new group of virulence genes, a so-called pathogenicity island (group of genes potentially associated with triggering disease) which the scientists have discovered in the
H. hepaticus genome.